Reinvention

A while ago I made myself a new black sequin covered bra - the one I showed in the first post was not offering a lot of support anymore and I decided it was time for something else. I had to put a rush on it as it was just before our Hafla and I had someone else's costume to finish as well. . . Of course that turned out to be a substandard bra for me.

So this time around, I'm going to show you how to reinvent a bra that you're not happy with.

On the photo above you can see what it originally looked like: safe, boring. . . entirely lacking in everything that makes a belly dancing costume. So I started by removing the silver trim very carefully, ensuring that I don't damage the fabric underneath.

Next I sewed sequins in the same basic pattern in which the silver trim was, the only exception was now that the sequins actually reflect light and give the feel of serious bling. I used a ruler to ensure that the lines are as straight as I could get it. Start with the top line along the cup, next do the middle line and then the bottom. Only do one cup at a time to ensure that you have something to refer to when you do the other side.

The smaller and shorter line of sequins are holographic - these really catch the light beautifully. You don't have to stick to this linear pattern. I just happen to like the look of it. When you're reinventing, you are the master and commander and you can go as crazy as you want to.

This is a vew of the inside of the bra. I have taken small silver rings and sewn them into the inside of the bra. This is an idea I love - you can attach your draping here with a lobster claw - this means you can use one basic bra and different drapings, depending on how you're feeling that day. I have very simple ones and very elaborate ones that I'm able to change. This also gives you the option to remove it completely when you're wearing something over the bra, such as a Turkish vest (photo below)

Always remember that you're never "stuck" with a costume once you've made it. Anything and EVERYTHING can be changed if you just use your imagination.

XXX
Karma

A girl can never have too much bling

Whenever I dance, there is always an internal debate. . . when is bling enough? Is there something like enough (or too much) bling?

Belly dancers are quite divided on the subject of bling. Some dancers refuse to wear them, others look like sparkly Christmas trees.

For those who do decide to wear bling, but are not quite sure where to draw the line between enough and too much, I've rounded up a selection of pics from the web that could be of assistance.

Depending on how steady your hand is, this could be drawn on with glitter eye liner

The colours are nice and dramatic, but the line of crystals against the lashline gives it extra kick.

You don't need to go crazy with the lashes (seen here) but a bit of scattered bling is awesome!

You don't need to buy cosmetic grade crystals. All you need is lash glue to stick your fabric shop bling on

If you're afraid of the stick-on variety, you could always just use a glitter-packed eyeshadow.

This pic combines the best of belly dance makeup: Bling, serious lashes and beautiful colour

A simple cat eye can be made dramatic with the addition of a few crystals

The position of the crystals are never fixed - have some fun!

Heavy or light? There is no thing as too much bling!

If you're really adventurous, you could always go all out and do aa bit of artwork!

I hope you find this inspirational for your own belly dance makeup. Please share your comments and DIY photos with me - your feedback is always appreciated.

XXX
Karma

Stage makeup ideas

Hi All

When I started dancing, I made the mistake of thinking that you could get away with makeup that's just a little darker than your usual day-to-day makeup. For me, that didn't mean much since I don't wear that much every day. Fortunately, there was a lot of photo action going on and I soon learnt the error of my ways. 

The problem with being on stage is that you're lit up from all angles by hundreds of megawatts. Stage lights are not flattering for anyone and, if you're rebelliously pale (meaning that you refuse to do the tan-in-a-can thing) like me, you're going to look washed out. The key is finding a foundation that gives a little heavier coverage but that still matches your complexion perfectly to avoid that "mask" look. 

Now please understand that I'm no expert at makeup. . . and that is why I am enlisting the help of my favourite YouTube makeup artists to show you a few tricks. These are my go-to-girls who are absolute magicians with a brush and colour palette. 

Enjoy!

Klaire de Lys Lace Eyes Tutorial

Klaire de Lys Conquest Tutorial

Emma Pickles Disney Princess Snow White Tutorial

Please share your photos with me if you've found these helpful!

XXX
Karma

Red devil costume

Hi everyone.

Sorry that I've been so quiet for so long. . . I'm back and I'm ready to show you all sorts of great stuff to DIY.

Today we're starting with my new favourite costume in my cupboard. Recently I was asked to dance at the last place I ever thought I would dance. . . my old high school. Please understand this, if we had those "Voted most likely to. . ." I would have received the vote for joining a convent before thirty. Belly dance, however, saved my life literally! Anyway, this costume represented the change that I had undergone between 2003 and now. . . and I call it the Red Devil costume!

First, we start with the basics. I took a white padded bra, silver sequins, small red foil beads, some holographic bling, silver and red fabric paint, twisted long beads, scissors and thread . . .

I started by painting half of the one cup with a silver fabric paint - I cheat, I'll confess. I couldn't bear to bead the whole cup! By painting it silver, I created a base for beading that will hang down when done. The top half I leave white as I intend to cover this part of the cup with sequins. . . lots of sequins.

The sequins were sewn on to look like the scales of a fish - they overlap and cover almost half of the one below. This is a clever way to hide the thread while you're sewing. At the top of the cup I placed a line of holographic daisy sequince. They catch the light beautifully. However, I decided to take them off of the cup on the right. . . you'll see why.

Once the silver sequins work was done on the left, I covered the right side with crushed taffeta. It's a little tricky because the fabric has zero stretch in it - if you can avoid no-stretch fabric, do it. I just didn't have anything else at the moment. I put the bra on a dressmaker's mannequin to make it easier to pin it while the cup is moulded into shape. Don't do it while wearing it. . . you are going to hurt yourself! ;-)

Now comes the fun part. Go wild with bling. . . a belly dancer can never have too much bling on her costume.

Afterwards I painted the back strap a matching red to blend in. I also covered the straps to match.

I left the other "hard work" part for last. Taking a piece of double thread, I looped it through a red bead and then strung up twisted silver beads. I sewed it into the middle of the sequince on the bottom row of the silver cup. It takes a lot of time, so be patient. Also, remember to seal off the ends with a matching nail polish - the last thing you want is a cascade of falling beads while you're shimmying away!

 Now all you need to do is create a focal point on the other side as well. This ensures that the look is nice and balanced.

And you're done! For the performance I used a simple matching red coin belt (my routine was very hip intensive) over a silver crushed taffeta skirt with net insets.

This is me in my Red Devil costume dancing at our recent Hafla.

First project: Black belly dancing bra

Today I'll try to show you how to cover a bra for belly dancing.

1. First, get a good quality, properly fitted bra. Remember to buy one in one cup size larger than you would normally wear to compensate for the "shrinkage" when you cover it with the fabric. To make it easier to fit it correctly, put it on a dress maker's mannequin.

2. Your fabric choice is limited to something with a little stretch in it. Start by pinning the fabric so that the stretching is horizontal. Fold the fabric over and pin to the front of the bra - do not fold it over the bra, fold first, then pin. Keep the fabric nice and smooth when you pin it, making sure there is no bumps or unwanted folds.

3. When you get to the rounding in the bra cup, tuck and fold a little dart into the fabric to ensure that the fabric fits perfectly onto the cup. Use a few pins to secure.

4. Cut off the excess fabric and start folding the fabric under itself and pin to the cup.Ensure that it fits perfectly to the cup without any obvious bumps.

5. Do the same on the other side and make sure that it is nice and symmetrical. Here comes the hard part: using a thin needle and short bits of thread, start sewing the two parts onto each other. Use neat, small stitches and keep it neat. The problem with most thread lately is that it makes "bobbles" in the thread that causes loops and knots. When you use shorter bits of thread, you are able to eliminate this.

6. When the hard work is done, it's time for the fun part! On this bra I have taken a necklace that I didn't wear apart and added it as "bling". You can use absolutely anything, from necklaces, earrings, store-bought trim and chains. Your local haberdashery store should be a treasure trove of odds and ends that you can use. Take some time exploring it, or dig through your jewellery box for those things you don't wear anymore. Chain stores are another source of "bling" - check out the sale rack for steals!

The finished product. I'll probably cover the top part with a little lace or sequined trim, just so that I can be sure my girls won't misbehave when I dance. The key is to go a little overboard with your "bling" - just when you think, "Oh, that's just enough!" add one more thing. This is not the time and place for Coco Chanel-isms. BUT THERE IS NO NEED TO GO "GYPSY" ON THE AUDIENCE!

Hello's and Hi's

We all know today's economy ain't what it used to be. One way to combat stress is to take part in something that you enjoy, such as a hobby. And yet, hobbies cost money. . . More stress!

Here I'm going to explore ways to cut costs while I'm trying to enjoy my favorite hobby, dancing. Please check in every now and again to see what my latest Do It Yourself (and sometimes Destroy It Yourself) project is!

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If I don't know the answer, I'll find someone who does!

Happy DIY'ng!